The inter-ministerial committee, while reviewing the detailed area plan (DAP), recommended that the 'water body' and 'open space', spanning not more than 20 kathas, as earmarked in it -- DAP -- could be converted to urban residential zone or institutional zone, if required.
A report published in a contemporary this week said the review committee, at its fourth meeting early this month, approved in principle the changes in the land use plan for three residential projects -- one each of the armed forces, the police and the government officials -- and approved two other projects for changing the original land use plan of the DAP.
However, the committee's decision to change the land use plan, according to experts, is contrary to its original spirit. If these projects are approved, the government, they say, will be forced to approve all of the projects, taken on flood flow zones and water bodies, that it has not so far approved, considering their environmental impact.
On its part, however, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) said one of the three projects would be developed on an area fully marked as flood-flow zone, one would partially encroach upon what is designated as water retention area and the other, on an area identified as water body in the DAP.
Terming the review committee's approval for the change in the land use plan 'a deceptive move of the government', the city planners have raised the question: How could the committee allow the conversion of flood flow zones and water bodies to urban residential zones as the prime minister herself said that none of the water bodies and flood flow zones would be allowed to be destroyed?
The committee also suggested that the authorities should take into cognisance the applications, submitted by a number of stakeholders for changes in the land use plan, while preparing the next detailed area plan that is now being worked on, for 2016-2035. It had received about 1,200 applications, seeking changes in the DAP layout in different places, and 1,094 of them remain unresolved as yet.
However, the incumbent land minister justified the committee's stance on the approval of the housing projects either on flood flow zones, sub-flood flow zones or water retention areas, stating that the review committee was asked to remove 'inconsistencies' in the area plan. And that is why the committee has taken a 'pragmatic' move to change the land use plan, he added.
There is no denying that the government has the right to plan and implement residential projects for the armed forces, the police and the former civil servants. But that should not be done at the expense of the environment. Moreover, there appears to be inadequate, or even lack of, understanding, on the part of the authorities concerned about the necessity for flood-flow zones, water retention points and water bodies, as marked in the DAP. The flood-flow zones are required not only for preventing inundation of the city but also for replenishment of the ground aquifers, which have witnessed a serious decline in recent years.
It may be mentioned here that the DAP could not earlier be implemented as the government lacked in commitment and courage to enforce it against powerful quarters. Furthermore, no administrative framework had been instituted to implement the plan due to alleged lack of leadership of the housing and public works ministry. Like the existing plan, the new DAP is going to become also another tool for promoting illegal development schemes.
Soon after the final DAP was published in official gazette after two reviews in 2010, the government formed the ministerial committee with the mandate to 'finalise the DAP after a detailed review', in the face of fierce opposition from powerful real estate developers. Many expressed their surprise over the formation of the ministerial committee and said why a committee should be formed when it had already been finalised twice.
Defending the formation of the committee, the then state minister in charge of housing and public works said the DAP was being implemented as a continuous process, considering the practical situation. The plan can be changed or amended, as it is no holy book, he said. Surprisingly, the same minister, at the beginning, had loudly advocated for enforcing the DAP against all odds.
On their part, real estate developers wanted modification of the DAP in a way that would ensure growth of the real estate sector. The government, they said, should also think of alternative ways to save wetlands inside the city, while the directions kept in the DAP to save wetlands are not practical any longer. They further claimed that the DAP was prepared on the basis of a design made in 1992, but the city, as was envisaged in the design and the today's one, is not the same any more.
Realtors further said the ways the government plans to save the wetlands across Dhaka and its neighbouring areas are not practical. Nobody can destroy any building overnight to revive a canal or river, they said while terming the DAP shortsighted. According to them, the government needs to formulate a master plan with a long-term vision. They suggested that the government should ensure a balance between protecting the environment and the interest of the real estate sector as well.
However, for all practical purposes, the government does need to realise that the vested interests should not be allowed to enjoy benefits at the expense of the liveability of a city which is already the home to 15 million people. One gets really frustrated to see how the resources are being abused or misused, gradually compromising the issues of environmental protection and social justice, in the name of development. There should be strict enforcement of rules to save the wetland in and around the city in particular, in letter and spirit.
The environment of the city is deteriorating fast due to rampant pollution, encroachment, denudation of green cover, etc. Something must otherwise be done to improve the situation. The DAP should not otherwise be violated with any evil design. What is needed at this stage is that the government should enforce proper compliance with the plan, not encourage its distortion.
szkhan@dhaka.net
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